1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a twine knotter, particularly of the type using the Deering high-pressure system for agricultural baling presses.
2. Related Art
Twine knotters of this type have been customary everywhere for many decades and are of standard construction. In their normal design, they have substantially uniform dimensions. They process sisal hemp twines or synthetic baler twines. In the latter case, to produce conventional bales of hay, straw, waste materials, plants, etc. with a bale cross-section of up to 600 by 600 mm and a bale length of approximately 1 m, baler twines with a run length of 320 to 400 m/kg have been used. The run length indicates the length of 1 kg of a particular twine and is a measure of the "thickness" of the twine.
More recently, baling presses producing considerably larger bales of up to approximately 1400 by 1400 by 2400 mm have been developed and put on the market. Thicker baler twines are obviously required for bales of this type. Where synthetic baler twines are concerned, this means a run length in the range of approximately 300 to 120 m/kg. Of course, the aim is to process these twines on existing twine knotters or, at all events, on those which remain unchanged in terms of their essential dimensions and components.
The same requirement regarding twine thickness as in the production of especially large bales must also be satisfied when bales of conventional dimensions are to be pressed particularly firmly and are accordingly under high pressure.
However, this processing proves difficult in many cases, since the thicker baler twines produce bulkier knots which, when the bale tension is exerted, tend to pull together somewhat, twine material being drawn in from the free knot ends. In many cases, not much of the knot ends then remains, and this results in insecure knots which can come loose.
One type of packing machine not in the agricultural art is illustrated in Kuene, "Landmaschinentechnik II", pp. 85-90. There is much patent art on Deering type knotters, one example being U.S. Pat. No. 2,723,871.